Display apparatus



L. R. M DONALD Filed June 23. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l avwentoz,

33) My fli ted/n March 18, 1930. I L. R. MCDONALD DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed June 23. 1928 5 Shets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES LESLIE R. MCDONALD, OFMONTBEAL, QUEBEC, CANADA DISPLAY APPARATUS Application filed June 23,

into another, as laterally, backward, laterally in a reverse direction, and forward; and objects of my invention are to secure placard holders which will accommodate not only the placards but samples of articles suitable for display; to improve the mechanism so that it will efiiciently handle such placard holders; and to provide safety means to prevent serious injury to the mechanism in case of its temporary derangement. These features of my improvements will be hereafter explained. I desire it to be understood that this is an improvement upon the subject matter of my Letters Patent No. 1,685,499, dated September 25th, 1928; and that the operating mechanisms employed in my present improvements are substantially like those of my aforesaid application, except as is hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan viewof an apparatus embodying my improvements, the top of the case being omitted; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3, the placard holders being omitted; Fig. 3 is a staggered vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken as on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 above the base plate upon which the placard carriers slide, and upon the line 03-03 of the same figure below that base plate, and looking up; Fig. 4is a horizontal sectional view, taken as on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5 looking down, the back slide and placard being, however, slid into place, and part of the surrounding frame being broken away for clearness; Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the placard holders, the margin being partially broken away, for clearness, and the back slide and placard with attached sample partially withdrawn. Fig. 6 is a horizontal, sectional view, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3, the parts 63, 64, 65, however, being omitted for clearness; and Fig. 7 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 1, look ing to the left, of the righthand end of the apparatus, showing the arrangement of the mechanism for shifting the placard holders 1928. Serial No. 287,719.

transversely, the case and supporting elements being omitted for clearness.

Similar reference numerals designate similar parts in all the figures.

The case, which is preferably of sheet metal, is provided with ends 1, 2, a bottom 3, and top 4, within which the placard holders are assembled. One side of the case is provided with a glass front 10, behind which the plac ards are successively exhibited, two being displayed at the same time. Each placard holder 20, 20 is rectangular in form having a back plate 21, preferably lightened by cutting out the centralportion 22, an open front 23, preferably surrounded by a marginal frame 24, and open at one end as 25. A flange-26 is carried around the inside of the placard holder at the top, bottom and one end, but not at the open end. A back plate 27 having an inturned flange 28 on oneend is adapted to slide into position within the inturned flange 26.

Against the face of the plate 27 is placed a placard 29 which is slid with the back plate within the flange 26, to be held against displacement by that flange and by the flange 28 on the plate 27. This placard 29 notonly may bear a suitable legend, but to it may be attached a sample, as 30, of'an article to be displayed, the depth of the placard holder permitting this.

The back plate 27 is provided on its back with a lug or projection 31;. and because of the elasticity of the sheet metal, this lug may be pushed with the back plate into the placard holder until it passes the edge of the opening 22 in the back of the .holder, when it will spring into the opening, thus locking the back plate in position against easy displacement.

The mechanism for actuating the elements which move the placard carriers longitudinally and transversely, is the same as that shown in my Letters Patent No. 1,685,499, viz, a rotating pinion 37 meshing with the rack teeth 38 of a rack bar 39, and moving the same longitudinally and laterally in'a reciprocatory path within guide elements 60, 61, 60, 61. To this rack bar arms 45, 46 are pivoted, and are provided with slides 47,

48 adapted to alternately push forward a placard carrier on first one side of the apparatus and then on the other side.

This rack bar 39 also, through levers 63, 64, actuates slides 68, 68, transversely of the case.

These parts of the mechanism between the driving pinion 37 and the placard carriers are the same as those shown in my aforesaid Patent No. 1,685,499, and are similarly numbered, and I therefore deem it unnecessary to describe them in further detail, except to say that to the upturned end-flange of each slide 68, is attached, in the present construction, a head element 70, 70, instead of the placard packer 69 shown in said patent.

The head elements 7 O, 70 are provided with slots 71, 72. Bridge elements 73, 73 are each, at one end, pivoted in the frame as at 74, 74, the reinforcement 75 on the other end being made to slide in the slots 71, 71 in the heads 70, so that as the slide 68 moves the head 70 the bridge element will slope from the frame to the head 70, at such an angle that the placard holder 20, when slid forward by the slide 47, will slide up over the bridge and pass behind the head 7 O.

In the frame are pivoted two uprights 77, 7 7, each having an arm at each end, the arm 78 on the lower end entering the 'slot 72 in the head 70, while the arm 79 on the upper end, disposed substantially parallel to the arm 78, presses against the back of the adjacent placard holder. These arms are preferably somewhat elastic so as to give a spring contact with the placard holder, and the result of the arrangement is that when the slides 68, 68 are reciprocated and the heads 70, 7 0 are moved to and fro, a corresponding movement will be communicated to the arms 7 9, 79, so that when the placard holders are shoved transversely the heads 7 O pressing against the arms 78, 78 communicate a similar pressure to the tops of the placard holders, through the shafts 77 77 and arms 79, 7 9, thus preventing their upsetting or turning in position.

Between the motor (not shown) and the shaft 34 carrying the pinion 37 I interpose a safety connection constructed as follows. The shaft 34 is bored and its end is slotted as at 40. The shaft 41, which is driven by the motor fits loosely in the bore in the shaft 34 and is provided with a safety pin 42 of aluminum or the like, the ends of which rest By slidingup the cap 43, the safety pin 42 may be reached and a new pin inserted.

By these means I produce and operate placard holders having considerable depth, so that each will accommodate a sample of merchandise or the like, and I provide efficient means for applying power to both the top and bottom of such placard holders to move them transversely; and I also provide means whereby serious damage to the mechanism in case of derangement of its operation will be avoided.

It will be understood that the embodiment of my invention illustrated is a typical and not an exclusive one, for it will be understood that details of construction might be modified as by the use of mechanical equivaents without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described m invention, what I claim and desire to secure y Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with-a plurality of placard compartments, a series of placard carriers slidably disposed therein, means for shifting a placard carrier laterally, means for shifting a placard carrier transversely, embodying a shaft provided with a lower spring arm and with an upper spring arm pressing resiliently forward to engage the top of each placard carrier successively.

2. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with a plurality of placard compartments, a series of placard carriers slidably disposed therein, each embodying a box-like body having an open front and provided with means for detachably securing a sample of merchandise, within the back portions of said body, in unobstructed display .position facing the open front, and means for moving such placard carriers laterally and transversely in successive display positions.

3. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with a plurality of placard compartments, a series of placard carriers slidably disposed therein, each embodying a box-like body open on one face and provided with means embodying a sliding, resilient plate provided with a detent element adapted to detachably engage the back of the placard carrier, to detachably secure a sample of merchandise in display position within said box-like body, and means for moving such placard carriers laterally and transversely in successive display positions.

4. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with a plurality of placard compartments, a series of placard carriers slidably disposed therein, each embodying a box-like body having an apertured back and an open front, and provided with means within the aperture in the back of the placard carrier for detachably securing a sample of merchandise in the back portion of said body, in unobstructed display position facin the open front, and means for moving suc placard carriers laterally and transversely 1n successive display positions.

5. In a displa apparatus, the combination of a case provi ed with a plurality of placard compartments, a series of placard carriers slidably disposed therein, means for shifting a placard carrier laterally, means for shifting a placard carrier transversely, a source of power and a comparatively fragile connection embodying a driven, socketed shaft having a slotted end, a driving shaft inserted in said socket, a pin of aluminum or the like passed through the driving shaft with its ends resting in the said slot, and a cap sliding upon the driven shaft and having a depending flange adapted to house the ends of said pin.

LESLIE R. McDONALD. 

